Family Creative Learning Night invitation

Family Creative Learning Night Invitation

Ever played Mario on Play-Doh or piano on bananas? Alligator clip the Internet to your world and start inventing the future. Join the Director from Fabnewport’s Makerspace to learn how.

Use Scratch coding to create your own games, music,  stories and then use Makey Makey’s to bring them to life. Bring your family or friends and help build together.

When:  Wednesday’s January 11 & 18, 5-8pm.   

Where: EWG HS Library

Dinner will be provided

Space is limited.  

Sign up with Ms Winner - bevin_winner@ewg.k12.ri.us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfQqh7iCcOU

https://scratch.mit.edu/

http://guides.rilinkschools.org/c.php?g=268882&p=1793659

Screenagers

One of the biggest issues that we face on a regular basis is the issue of technology. It is an issue in and out of school. At a younger age, we are involved with students sending inappropriate pictures and text messages. Students' interactions on social media become an issue for the school and for their personal development.

Please join us this Tuesday night, December 6 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM, in the Jr/ Sr High School library to watch the movie Screenagers and follow up discussion. This is a topic that is important to all of us. 

Report cards

If you have a child in the Senior High School you may have noticed a change to the report card. Throughout the district we are making changes to our current report cards in an attempt to give you as much information about your child's performance in class and to be in compliance with our updated Grading Policy #7800.

Teachers are currently in the process of posting Trimester 1 grades using the new report card system. Here is some information about the changes you can expect when report cards are updated.

1) Students will receive a traditional letter grade based on performance in the class.
2) Students will also receive a performance indicator. These indicators are designed to give you feedback on your child's current level of performance at the close of the trimester. These scores are a measure of how students are doing right now and are not indicative of end of the year benchmarks. 
3) Students may receive content comments that are intended to help identify student's individual strengths and weaknesses in the class. These are not required and therefore may not be present for every class.
4) Students may receive learner quality comments. These comments indicate student's individual work habits, educational practices, social, emotional, academic or personal traits that impact the classroom. These comments are also optional and may not be present for every class.

Over all, the new grading and report card is designed to give you and your child as much feedback as possible about their academic performance in each class. We will continue to work through the new grading system and determine any improvements that might need to be made at the end of the year. 

Happy Thanksgiving

We have a short week this week, but I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. I would also like to say thank you for all of the thoughtful cards, notes and comments this fall. I appreciate your kind words.

One of the issues that I deal with most frequently as an educator and a parent is the growing concern about technology. As a principal I am often dealing with the negative effects of comments made, photos posted, and friendships ruined because of technology. I field many questions from parents about screen time, keeping kids safe online, and managing devices. 

As a parent of a junior high student I also struggle with balancing the educational benefits and other positives that can happen because of technology and the challenge of managing my son's use of technology. 

We use this graphic of "THINK before you post" throughout the Junior High to help kids become more responsible in their online habits. 

I have seen the dangers of what some individuals are doing online. I have talked to parents about their concerns and as an EWG school community we would like to extend an invitation to all parents throughout the district to attend a community forum movie and discussion of the movie Screenagers on December 6 at 6:00 PM in the Jr/ Sr High School Library. Click to see the official trailer for the Screenagers movie and join us on December 6th to watch the movie and discuss the information presented. 

EWG Senior High Drama presents: Clues: An Interactive Murder Mystery

Join a zany cast of colorful character for a dinner party where the main course is motive for murder. Our audience will help solve who done it in this hilarious Clue inspired show. For tickets and more info please visit www.ewgdrama.com

As we approach the holidays, please take a moment to read the RI Student Assistance Service newsletter. This newsletter has lots of valuable information and tips about keeping your kids safe during this holiday season.

11/17/2016

It has been a hectic start of the school year. I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week.

Reminder that we do not have school next Wednesday, 11/23.

Please take a moment to read this note from the Superintendent:

In addition to the move to full-day kindergarten, our district has experienced a dramatic increase in enrollment at the elementary level over the past few years. As a result, we have been monitoring enrollment trends and our school's space capacity. We are currently in the process of reviewing our needs and exploring potential changes to the grade structure at each of our schools, including the possible (probable) move of grade two to Metcalf Elementary School and the possible move of grade 6 to the Junior High School. Including grade six as part of our middle school (JHS) also has significant programmatic benefits. These changes may be implemented as early as next school year. Stay tuned for further details on our progress, and watch for surveys as we work to gather information from parents to assist us with our planning.


In Mr. Wallace's History class, students worked on project from the colonial times. Read some of these exceptional projects students completed. They even made their paper look dated. Great job!

 
In October for Red Ribbon Week, advisories had a competition to make the best posters about staying drug free. The posters were judged by High School VAASA The 7th grade winning advisory was Mrs. Goldstein and 8th grade winning advisory was Mrs. Reynolds. Congratulations.




Here are some photos from our October Good Knight Meeting. Special thanks to Mr. Charest for running the meeting. 


Please be sure to congratulate all of the winners of the Knights of the Month including our Staff Knight of the Month Mrs. Goldstein who had fun posing with Junior Knight in his fun turkey hat.

Knights of the month are recognized for Respectful, Responsible and Safe behavior. Mrs. Capuano's class has this fun class rules poster using hashtags to help students remember how to behave in class. Remember students nominate their teachers for Knight of the Month for showing respectful, responsible and safe behaviors in the classes. 

The Junior High teachers have been taking advantage of the great weather this fall and kids have been getting outside for different activities. Mrs. Emery's science class was outside experimenting with stream tables in the STEM outdoor classroom.

Mrs. Guglielmo's PE class was outside playing tennis on our new tennis courts.

10/13/2016

Knights of the month and more...

There are NO evening conferences for the Junior High School this Thursday 10/20. 

There has been a lot going on at the Junior High. Here are some fun updates and pictures of what's happening.

Students are enjoying 3-D printing in the library for enrichment.

Students are actively creating timelines of their lives and the lives of historic characters.

7th graders in art class are working on using a vanishing point and shading to make their artwork look 3-dimensional. They are also adding detail to make their drawings surreal.

8th grade art classes are working on sketches of skeletons. After they have been drawn, they were cut out with an exacto knife and put on construction paper. They too have added some pretty exciting details.

Sometimes it's important to just get physical! A physical walk break or a walking study break is great to get your brain pumping.


It's also great to make maps not just with pencil and paper, but using play dough as well.

October 7th was our first Knight of the Month recognition. Students and staff are recognized for being Respectful, Responsible and Safe. Please be sure to congratulate all of the students and staff who were recognized this month. 

Be sure to congratulate Mrs. Sawicki, White Knight Math teacher, who was recognized by her students for being a teacher who always willing to help her students in any way she can. She helps to prepare them to go to the high school and be successful.